The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Chapter 146 Desiring to Take Gu Yu, Using Flowers to Offer to Buddha

Seven or eight burly men sat around the table in the middle, one of whom, shirtless, had one foot on a stool and was shaking a dice cup.

"Big big!"

"So tiny!"

Their shouts drowned out the fox's question.

"Bang!" The big man slammed the dice cup on the table and slowly lifted it.

"Hahaha." A shifty-eyed man grabbed the copper coins from the table.

The burly, shirtless man spat in annoyance, "You, Zhang Laosan, you've really struck it lucky today!"

He was about to shake it again when he looked up and saw the fox, and his eyes lit up.

The fox spoke again: "Are you Zhang Laosan?"

Zhang Laosan turned his head, his gaze falling on the package in the fox's hand, and a smile immediately spread across his face: "Oh dear, did Brother Liu send you? Where is Brother Liu?"

"Quickly, sit down and talk." Before the fox could reply, he beckoned to the waiter: "Waiter, bring a pot of good wine, two bowls of offal soup, and a few more wheat cakes."

The fox offered a casual explanation, then looked the man more closely. His face was ruddy and beaming with joy; he didn't look like he was in any trouble at all. "You need money to save your life?"

"To be honest, I'm really short on cash. I gambled a few times and lost some money, so I had no choice but to ask to borrow some." Zhang Laosan didn't take the money, but sat back down at the table. "But today is different. I'll win it all back soon!"

"You eat first, I'll gamble a little longer. Oh, waiter, get him another room."

The burly man sized up the fox, then cupped his hands and said, "Young master, since you are Liu Lao Er's friend, then you are one of us."

Come on, let's play a couple of rounds, it's just small stakes, have some fun, give your brother some face!

The men around them chimed in, "That's right, that's right, when you're out and about, you just want some excitement!"

The fox smiled and said, "We're tired from traveling. Let's eat first."

"Young master, are you tired? Then let's eat first. Come, let's continue." The big man asked casually.

The waiter quickly brought out the food and drinks, which were cloudy. The fox's eyes darted over them and landed on the bowl of offal soup.

The bowl was chipped, and there seemed to be some unknown stains on the rim, but the soup smelled delicious. The fox picked up a chopstick, poked through the layer of oil on the soup surface, and stirred it.

Despite being cut into small pieces, the fox could still distinguish the parts of each piece; it was a bowl of mutton offal.

The fox's eyes shone brightly. With a quick sweep of its breath, it removed the impurities from the bowl, then tilted its head back and poured the contents into its mouth without any regard for appearances.

The fox put down his bowl: "Delicious! Another bowl, please!"

"Alright." The waiter deftly brought over the new soup and was about to take away the old bowl when he suddenly froze.

The bowl, which had been stained, was now spotless and white as jade, as if it had just been cooked, after the fox had eaten it clean.

Are these my bowls?

Hu Nianshuang smiled and pushed her own bowl to the fox as well.

The fox accepted all comers' invitations, but instead of drinking the turbid wine, it took out a flask of wine from the old man's sleeve and placed it in front of Hu Nianshuang.

The drunkard in the corner suddenly raised his head.

The fox, oblivious, continued eating while its ears twitched, intently listening to the conversations at the gambling table.

"Haha, if I keep winning, I'll only owe you twenty taels!"

"I'm not coming anymore, let's have someone else be the dealer." The big man handed the dice cup to someone else.

"I'm lucky, it doesn't matter who comes first." Zhang Laosan rubbed his stomach. "Oh dear, you guys take turns, I'm going to the outhouse."

The shirtless burly man grabbed him: "Huh? Third brother, you still owe me over twenty taels of silver. What if you run away while we're in the outhouse?"

Zhang Laosan scoffed, "Why should I run? My luck is so good, you guys shouldn't be running."

"Besides, my brother's friend is sitting right next to us, with that bundle of money in his hand. What are you afraid of?"

The burly man glanced at the fox, then at Hu Nianshuang, and waved his hand: "Lazy donkey, get on the millstone, hurry up and go."

The fox twitched its nose, remaining silent as it watched Zhang Laosan run out clutching his stomach.

The dice clattered again.

"That kid is really weird today, like he's taken some kind of magic pill."

"That's right, he's amazing. No matter how many of us at the table cheated, we couldn't beat him."

"Shut up. Just follow my orders from now on. Understand? Squeeze every last drop out of his brother's share too."

Even when Zhang Laosan wasn't around, they were still sneaky when they were doing their dirty work, but unfortunately, they couldn't outsmart the fox's eyes.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea has passed.

The burly man frowned and gestured to the man beside him, "Go check why the third brother hasn't come back yet. Maybe he fell into the latrine."

The man left with a grin.

A few more moments passed.

The man rushed back in a panic: "Brother, something terrible has happened! That third brother has run away, and... and even our things are gone!"

"Snapped!"

The burly man suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the table: "Damn it, you've got some nerve, daring to play me for a fool!"

His gaze swept over the fox, then he strode over: "You're his brother's friend? That bastard owes me two hundred million—"

"Fifty taels of silver, and they stole my things, and now they've run away! What are we going to do about it?!"

The other gamblers also gathered around, glaring menacingly at the fox.

The fox calmly took out a package: "Don't rush, I have money here."

The fox did not untie it directly, but instead reached into the package.

Rough, with sharp edges.

This isn't a bag of silver; it's clearly a bag of stones.

But there was not a trace of panic in the fox's eyes.

The voice spoke the moment it saw the silver: "Illusory Silver Illusion Technique, also known as Fake Silver Technique, or Stone-Turning Silver Technique. A minor, unorthodox skill, a trick used by charlatans to deceive others."

"The art of turning gold and silver into gold, commonly known as alchemy, is actually an illusion that only deceives people's eyes."

"The technique is not profound. If one's magical power is insufficient, one can use talismans or medicinal ingredients instead."

"It can alter the color and texture of stone, making it pleasing to the eye."

Without a word, the fox could guess the weakness of this technique. Illusion is still illusion. Weight can be faked by choosing stones of similar weight, but it can be exposed simply by cutting it open with scissors.

That's interesting, really interesting.

If you want to take something, you must first give something. Liu Lao Er's words were self-consistent, and he didn't ask for money. He was just helping to deliver it, so naturally no one cut it open to check.

When they arrived at the destination, Zhang Laosan pretended to be completely uninterested to lower everyone's guard. Finally, he used a trick to make a quick getaway.

Unfortunately, the fox was too clever and had already memorized their scent.

The fox gripped the stone tightly, took it out, and then unfolded it.

The flickering lamplight shone on the fox's hand, making the silver coins gleam.

It's just a minor trick; the fox had already learned it on the way here.

Moreover, the fox became more real.

The burly man froze, then ripped open the package, spilling silver coins that rolled everywhere. The gamblers scrambled to pick them up, weighing them in their hands and biting them with their teeth, all with smiles on their faces.

"Big brother, it's true!"

The burly man's eyes flickered, and he forced a smile: "I was being presumptuous just now, please forgive me, young master. If you would do me the honor, how about we play a couple of rounds together?"

"Alright," the fox nodded.

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